Sunday, February 19, 2012

Feb | 19 | The Trouble With Complacent Canaries

Dream Word – HAPPY

Psalms 40:1-3 I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth — Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord. NKJV

The Troubles of Complacent Canaries

South African wine-makers are presently growing roses among their vines. If the roses show signs of ‘black spot’ fungus, the growers can better treat their vines and much, much earlier than previously. In this case, the rose has become the early warning danger sign of what would have been the certain fungal destruction of the grape crop.

It was in 1986 when the last 200 canaries were made redundant from British coal mines. For many years, the brightly coloured singing birds had been used to test the air quality in mines. Canaries were particularly sensitive to the presence of Carbon Monoxide and Methane, showing noticeably visible signs of distress long before miners were aware of the danger. The canaries might stop singing, sway back and forth on their perch, fall to their small cage bottom and sometimes even die. Thankfully, new digital technology eventually replaced the miner’s feathered friend.

To those who can see and sense, there are always early warning signs of coming destruction. Much can be said about this phenomena, both globally and locally, both materially and spiritually, but tonight, I want to speak only personally, for when a Christian stops singing, it is a sure sign that they are about to fall off their perch.

For the Christian, joy is the marker of a healthy atmosphere. When joy is present, hope, faith and love all bloom in their season. However, if you remove the joy, then despondency, hopelessness, unbelief and bitterness, like some dread black spot fungus, will blight anything trying to grow both in and around such a Christan.

If the song in your heart has grown silent, then may I say that you are in the greatest of danger. Get out of that place and speedily attend to your own crop, lest the blight of death come upon you. I have seen too many Christians fallen off their perch, with their little legs stiff and upright in the pressing grey. Listen to yourself tonight. How is your singing? Test it! For you see, the trouble with complacent canaries, is that they eventually fall off their perch!

Listen: - In a year and some days You will be troubled, you complacent women; For the vintage will fail, The gathering will not come. Tremble, you women who are at ease; Be troubled, you complacent ones; Strip yourselves, make yourselves bare, And gird sackcloth on your waists. Isaiah 32:10-11 NKJV

Pray:- Lord, forgive my complacency toward the lack of my song. and forgive my love of all my nitrous oxides. Now Lord, send the fresh breeze of Your Holy Spirit into my collapsing lungs and deliver me from all my sin. Come and put a fresh song in my heart, that I may sing the songs of Zion’s comfort of Your Almighty praise, in Jesus name I ask it, amen!

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